About
Managing Director
Sophie Smith
Sophie loves helping small-town economies reach their fullest potential. As the Managing Director at PPR Strategies, she leads projects, multitasks like a champ, and nurtures client needs with style and grace.
Sophie Smith is a community development specialist who helps small-town economies reach their fullest potential. Sophie, serving as the Managing Director at PPR Strategies, People & Places Reimagined, plays a pivotal role in guiding the company’s strategic direction, managing its daily operations, and ensuring alignment with the vision set by the team. Sophie is strategic and brings passion, curiosity, and outside-the-box thinking to her team. Previously the Main Street Manager in Brunswick, Maryland, Sophie is familiar with the challenges that face growing communities. In this role, Sophie served in multiple capacities but primarily worked with small businesses, property owners, government officials, and other local entities to achieve their economic development objectives. She additionally led the organization’s re-branding effort and ran its marketing and outreach initiatives. She brings a strong background in project management, strategy, and organization to the PPR Strategies team. Sophie currently serves as a Board Member for the United Way of Frederick County, is an active Literacy Council of Frederick County tutor, and belongs to the Key City Rotary Club. Originally from Freeport, Maine, Sophie is a Hood College legacy graduate with a degree in global studies. She has lived in four different countries and can speak conversational French.
Connect with Sophie via email, by calling 240-608-4443, or on LinkedIn.
Favorite part of her job: Asking questions. Listening to others and their stories. Constantly learning new things. Helping make dreams into reality.
Professional superpowers: The art of the juggle.
Personal superpowers: Sophie is a Frederick County kickball champ and recently won the office chili cook-off of 2022!
Her favorite things: Driftwood and seaglass; spicy chai lattes; hosting family and friends for a shared meal, drinks, or movie night; volunteering; reading books – especially historical fiction; encouraging others to achieve their goals; candlelight; fog; the smell of woodsmoke; chocolate chip cookies; her family, her friends, and her kitten; the sound of a tennis ball can being opened; birch trees.
Meet the Team Behind PPR Strategies
Sandy Dubay
CEO and Founder
Sandy Dubay, CEcD (formerly Sandy Sponaugle) is the CEO and Founder of PPR Strategies (previously Platinum PR). As PPR Strategies’ fearless leader, she brings over 20 years of marketing savvy …
Sophie Smith
Managing Director
Sophie loves helping small-town economies reach their fullest potential. As the Managing Director at PPR Strategies, she leads projects, multitasks like a champ …
Hanna Turner
Director of Client Relations
Hanna enjoys tapping into the uniqueness of our clients, helping them to expand and thrive. She has worked in municipal government communications, economic development, …
Mia Vaccaro
Public Relations Specialist
Hannah Clawson
Senior Content Writer
Content makes the world go around and Hannah is more than happy to help it spin!
As Senior Content Writer, she meticulously crafts all written pieces for PPR’s clientele.
Kayla Sherry
Social Media Coordinator
Kayla, as the Gen Z stereotypes claim, is obsessed with all things social media. Growing up during the early stages of today’s most-used digital platforms has allowed her to become immersed…
Caleigh Bernota
Communications Specialist
Caleigh is a senior at Stevenson University working towards a degree in Business Communications with Graphic Design and Fashion Merchandising minors.
Larry Twele
Consultant
With over 25 years of service in state and local economic development agencies, Lawrence has experience in economic development strategy, legislative policy, entrepreneurship, and community development.
